Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration and biopsy from the pelvis

General

MRI or CT is often used to assess possible spreading of different cancer types. A cytological or histological assessment of a tumor is often needed. If the lesion can be seen by vaginal ultrasound, ultrasound-guided biopsy is the optimal method for this. For localized tumor, for example a well-limited ovarian tumor without sign of spreading, the risk for spread in connection with the biopsy procedure must be taken into consideration. For probable stage I ovarian cancer, biopsy is generally contraindicated due to the risk of spread. For suspicion of sarcoma, the indication must be done by a sarcoma treatment specialist. For cytological examination, it is possible to obtain the result already the same or the following day while a histological examination requires a few days.